The sale and use of counterfeit, knock-off or imitation products are a major problem. This is because many counterfeit products are substandard in quality to an original product. As a result, real dangers, such as extreme physical harm and loss of human life, are attributable to substandard counterfeit products. For example, the use of important automobile parts such as counterfeit braking components can lead to the loss of life. This dangerous situation also exists with regard to using counterfeit jet aircraft parts or counterfeit pharmaceutical products. Any component or product made in a substandard fashion can lead to similar safety problems.
In order to prevent the sale and use of counterfeit goods, manufacturers attempt to use specially designed labels. Labels for products and product packaging are generally made of a substrate layer, an adhesive layer and sometimes a cover or protective layer. The introduction of components into label layers is not readily practiced for any number of reasons; namely, concerns over evenly distributing a given component, concerns over the manufacturability of the label materials, transparency of resultant materials, solubility concerns, and visibility concerns. In order to avoid these concerns, holograms, special fibers and/or inks are applied on a substrate for security purposes.
In this connection, an ink containing a fluorescent compound is printed in a predetermined pattern. Ink printing involves applying the ink containing the fluorescent compound on the predetermined portion of the substrate and applying a cover-protecting layer thereover. The predetermined pattern is typically in the form of a bar code or readily identifiable design. As such, the predetermined pattern is disposed on top of a substrate in a noncontinuous manner. Likewise, special fibers are also disposed on or in a substrate in a noncontinuous manner due to their physical nature.
When inks and fibers are used, a fluorescent compound is typically encapsulated, for example, in toner particles or a fiber network. Encapsulation not only results in the noncontinuous distribution of fluorescent compounds, but it also protects/shields the fluorescent compounds from the chemical environment and chemical processing of the substrate on or in which it is located. Accordingly, unauthorized alteration or reproduction of the security system is accomplished by focusing on the encapsulated material. Improved and simplified security systems are therefore desired.